They backed it up with a plus-136 run differential (a fairly absurd figure across just 60 games), and then in the postseason went 13-5 en route to winning the World Series for the first time since 1988.,Because of the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fans weren't permitted to attend MLB games last season until the very last rounds of the playoffs.,The plan right now is for fans to be in attendance at spring training games and regular season games, albeit in limited numbers and in accordance with local guidelines.,Last season, no fans attended any regular season Astros games even as they advanced as far as the ALCS, so they've yet to hear about their transgressions in the typical manner.,Last season, the Padres busted out in a big way, as they won at a .617 clip -- the best win percentage in franchise history -- and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Mural artists Brian Peterson, left, and Damin Lujan of Santa Ana created a 35-by-40-foot mural depicting Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers on a building overlooking the parking lot of Philippe the Original sandwich shop in Los Angeles.,(Photo courtesy of Brian Peterson and Damin Lujan)

David Ahn stands beneath the mural of Kobe Bryant and Mookie Betts he commissioned to be painted on the side of his building at 686 N. Spring St. in Los Angeles, CA.,(Photo by Andy Holzman) read more

Perry Minasian’s first winter as the Angels’ general manager netted at least seven new players who will, barring injury, be a part of the big league roster.,Among the position players, the Angels picked up Jose Iglesias to be their new everyday shortstop, Dexter Fowler to be their right fielder (at least until Jo Adell is ready) and Kurt Suzuki to be the backup catcher.,After Ohtani agreed to a two-year deal earlier this month, agent Nez Balelo said Ohtani has taken his offseason workouts to a higher level, in an effort to move past the struggles and injuries of the past two years.,The Angels tossed Adell in the deep end last year, and months later Manager Joe Maddon conceded that the 21-year-old probably wasn’t ready.,He’s had a winter to work on the things he did wrong last year, and now he’ll go into spring training with some experience and the challenge to prove that he is still the super prospect he was supposed to be.

After receiving an MRI on his right calf in Denver on Monday that showed no signs of rupture, the Lakers will sit him out Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves and team doctors will re-evaluate Davis upon his return to L.A. ESPN reported that the 6-foot-10 All-NBA big man could miss as many as nine games leading into the All-Star break on March 5.,But for the Lakers, defending the title is paramount over short-term concerns, and even Davis recognized that on Sunday night when he spoke to the media after the injury, which the team is calling a “right calf strain.”,The Lakers first acknowledged that Davis was dealing with pain in his calf on Feb. 8, when the team announced he would miss that night’s game against Oklahoma City with tendonosis in his right Achilles.,Going into Sunday’s game against the Nuggets, Davis said he had been feeling “completely fine,” up until the point that he bumped legs with Nikola Jokic on a drive late in the second quarter.,Vogel expressed confidence Sunday that the Lakers wouldn’t expect a drop-off even if Davis missed significant time: “We’re gonna win games, that’s the first thing we’re gonna do.”

The National Risk Index, put together by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is based on calculations by 80 experts over six years and reveals the risks for each county in the United States for 18 natural hazards including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis and even winter weather.,The 18 natural hazards included in the index are avalanches, coastal flooding, cold wave (a cooling of air), drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, lightning, river flooding, strong wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire and winter weather.,While the risk of hurricanes is not applicable in Los Angeles County, several other hazards are very high, including wildfires, earthquakes and river flooding.,Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Score: 57.72 Most at risk for heat waves, ice storms, lightning, river flooding, strong winds, tornadoes and winter weather.,The county is at very high risk of heat waves, ice storms, strong winds, tornadoes and winter weather.

BEAUMONT, Texas — Despite redshirt junior Micaela Wilson posting a career-high 22 points, the Lamar University women's basketball program fell in overtime to Sam Houston, 83-80, on Wednesday night at the Montagne Center.,From then on out, Lamar turned on the defensive burners and went on to make a huge cut into the Sam Houston lead.,Lamar went into a zone defense to help stop the Sam Houston offense and it helped has the Cardinals won the second period by a score of 22-20.,The third period began nearly similar to the first as Sam Houston came out of the break on a 7-0 run, but huge baskets by sophomore Malay McQueen cut the Bearkat lead to three with 7:50 left to go.,The Cardinals went down 12 early in the fourth but were able to turn the period around beginning with a second chance jumper by Wilson that went on to start a huge Cardinal cut into the Sam Houston lead.